MIT issued an emergency alert at 10:48 on Thursday night reporting shots fired on the university campus. The school newspaper reports, "Shots fired near 32 Vassar St (Stata Center), police officer down. Please stay inside." That report is backed up by CBS News's Bonney Kapp who reports hearing "officer down" on the police scanner just before the MIT alert went out. For now, details are scarce, but the suspect is on the loose and considered armed and extremely dangerous.
I'm not sure how much more craziness I can take this week. We'll bring you more as it develops.
UPDATE: Per NBC Connecticut, the officer shot has died. The shooter is still not apprehended.
UPDATE 2: More news coming, but hard to confirm. Two men, described as Middle Eastern looking, carjacked a Mercedes SUV and headed towards Harvard. According to police scanner info, they abandoned the car in Watertown and there are reports of heavy gunfire and possibly grenades (?) in Watertown. At this time, police do not believe there is any connection to the earlier bombings.
UPDATE 3: Unconfirmed reports based on scanner broadcast of a second officer down.
UPDATE 4: Unconfirmed reports based on scanner broadcast that at least one suspect is in custody.
UPDATE 5: Unconfirmed reports based on scanner broadcast that the second suspect is now in custody. Police have been instructed to power down cell phones to not detonate suspected explosives in the area.
UPDATE 6: The second suspect is not in custody. Residents in Watertown are being instructed to stay indoors.
UPDATE 7: The Boston Globe is linking the shooter in custody with the marathon bombing.
Live footage of the shootout:
UPDATE 9: Pete Williams of NBC News confirmed that there was a pressure cooker found at the scene in Watertown.
UPDATE 10: Per WCVB: says men involved in MIT and Watertown shootings ARE the Marathon Bombers. Suspect #1 dead, Suspect #2 at large now.
UPDATE 11: Per WCVB, a transit officer has been shot, condition unknown.
